This Week in Sports :: May 19-23, 2008

Could this be the best Stanley Cup match up in history? The red hot Detroit Red Wings will face off against the young and exciting Pittsburgh Penguins! Here's what else happened this week!

Penguins Face the Red Wings

No question, this is one of the most anticipated Stanley Cup Finals in a long, long time. You have the seemingly invincible Detroit Red Wings facing the dynasty of the future in the Pittsburgh Penguins. This series should be very exciting and down to the wire. Both teams are incredible at home. Detroit has a better defense that is led by five-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Listrom. Pittsburgh is better offensively with the dynamic duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin - who may be the best offensive tandem in the NHL. All we got to say is buckle up!

NBA Playoffs Update

The 16-team NBA playoff field is down to just four teams: the Detroit Pistons, the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. Despite trailing the New Orleans Hornets two games to one, the Spurs came back and won the series in a thrilling seven game series. For two straight series, Boston was pushed to seven games. They squeaked by the Cleveland Cavaliers and now face the experienced Pistons. As of Friday, the Boston and Detroit series is tied at one a piece, while the Lakers lead the Spurs 1-0.

Manchester United Win European Cup

On Wednesday, the Manchester United soccer team defeated rival Chelsea 6-5 on a penalty shootout after a 1-1 tie after regulation and overtime. The victory marked the third European Cup title for the famed English franchise. The game was played in front of a capacity crowd in Moscow, Russia. The hero of the game was Manchester United's 37 year-old goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar who saved the decisive penalty kick from Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka. The victory completed a famous double for Manchester United, who only 10 days before that defeated Chelsea in the Premier League title game at Old Trafford.

Notes Around the Sports World

Despite having just a 1.7 percent chance of getting the first pick, the Chicago Bulls won the NBA lottery. The Bulls are expected to select either Michael Beasley from Kansas or Memphis' Derrick Rose, who is also a Chicago native.

The Chicago White Sox are one of the hottest team in baseball, winners of eight straight games. The Sox's record now stands at 26-10, which is first in the AL Central.

The early front runner for National League MVP is Lance Berkman of the Houston Astros. Berkman is currently second in the MLB in batting average and first in home runs and RBI's.